Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Xiao Yan held Lu Ziqing's hand tightly.

"I want to understand you all the time, and I want to catch up with you even more. I only hope that one day you can see it. Even if you walk too fast and pass through thorns, even if there is only a slight possibility, I will try my best to catch up. Even if I get thorns and scars all over, I will clear the obstacles for you."

"If you don't like it, then I'll stand where you can see me. That way, you can see me just by turning your head. Perhaps... I'm not the strongest person in front of you, but I still want to have a foolish dream in this life. I want to be your backer. I want you to have a place for me when you recall the good and the bad, but..."

His father's words flashed through his mind, and the feeling of powerlessness and pain once again pierced his heart like a needle, so painful that he almost choked.

"Why? I can't wait to come back and see you, but... why does fate have to play such a trick on me, I..."

Xiao Yan was clearly trying his best to control his emotions, but for some reason, the more he spoke, the more he lost control. He felt as if his whole body was bound and wrapped in pain.

He had never been so afraid of losing and parting. The hand that was holding Lu Ziqing was shaking slightly.

"Ziqing, I don't want you to stay away from me, but this time, I...my dream, it seems like it's really going to be shattered."

Perhaps it was because of the sincerity and intensity of these feelings that even Lu Ziqing, a man who had seen through the mundane world, felt somewhat moved.

He saw a faint mist in Xiao Yan's eyes, and his own eyes began to feel sour.

After a short silence, he forced out a smile amidst the invisible bitterness.

"In my eyes, the Marquis has always been the best person. If..."

He didn't say that, nor could he say it. He just hid himself in the darkness again and remained silent until Xiao Yan hugged his arms and gently kissed his forehead. Only then did his fingertips suddenly clutch the quilt.

Lu Ziqing's heart was beating like a drum, and he was at a loss. Before he could react, he felt a drop of hot and wet water falling between his eyebrows and then slowly sliding down his cheek.

At this moment, he was really stunned, and his brain was almost blank.

As Xiao Yan turned away and left, Lu Ziqing touched the tear with his fingertips, slowly moved it to his eyes, and then his gaze fell on the figure that was walking away.

He didn't come back to his senses until there was no more movement on the small couch outside the curtain.

The night was extremely long, so long that the two people inside and outside the curtain tossed and turned in bed. All the candles were extinguished. After an unknown amount of time, there was finally no sound in the room.

Two days later, Xining heard the news that Xiao Yan had returned to Beijing. He was so happy that he almost jumped for joy. His illness was almost healed. He didn't care about his image and walked around the house barefoot.

Su Xin hurriedly took out her clothes and put them on her, saying happily, "Miss, there is good news."

Xining looked at her excitedly and asked, "What good news?"

"Of course it's the princess's marriage." Su Xin was also excited, happier than her own wedding. "The Marquis has agreed to marry the princess."

"What? He..." Xining was so delighted that he couldn't be sure. "He really agreed? In the past, when the emperor offered him marriage, he always refused. This time... he actually agreed?"

"It's true." Su Xin laughed and said proudly.

"What did this servant say? Young lady, all you need to do is pretend to be depressed and lose your appetite. Then, using your status as a young lady, you can leverage the Crown Prince, the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager to put pressure on the Xiao family. This pressure isn't forced, but negotiated, forcing him to make a choice. Only then will he willingly marry you. And young lady isn't someone who would force him. Everything is his own will."

"Furthermore, the Xiao family has a long history of loyalty. Xiao Yan declined several times in the past few years. He can't just refuse every time, right? Therefore, those years just happened to be the foreshadowing of this time. He is bound to be in a dilemma and agree to this marriage."

Xining listened carefully to every word, her expression gradually changing from disbelief to victory in a dangerous situation, and then to certainty, with joy on her face.

"Yes, you are right. With Xiao Yan's cold and arrogant nature, if I simply use the force of my status to force him into submission, he would most likely choose death over submission. The best strategy is to use wits to defeat him. I will not be the sinner in the future. Everything he did was his own will. It doesn't matter if he doesn't like me now, it doesn't mean he won't like me in the future."

Su Xin covered her lips and smiled, "With your beauty, my lady, who is so stunningly beautiful, the Marquis will surely fall madly in love with you in the future."

Xining smiled shyly, then stretched lazily in a happy mood.

"Go get some food, I'm hungry. I've lost a lot of weight lately."

Su Xin said, "You're really hungry, young lady. Isn't it okay to just fool around?"

"That won't do." Xining sat down at the dressing table and combed her hair. "As you said, if I don't do it for real, how will the Crown Prince believe me? And if he doesn't believe me, how will he tell the Emperor and the Queen Mother?"

After the morning court session, Xiao Yan went to the parade ground. Before noon, when he finished his task, he returned to the Marquis' Mansion.

The snow in the yard was swept into a pile. It was quiet, but there was no sign of the servant.

He muttered as he walked towards the inner courtyard. When he passed the east courtyard, he heard a series of voices coming from Chongcuixuan.

"How do the changes between heaven and earth come about?"

Is this Xiaoliu's voice?

Xiao Yan walked into Chongcuixuan with his hands behind his back and stood under the corridor. From a distance, he saw the servants of the mansion and Chen Ji in the yard, some leaning against the door frame and stones, some sitting on the guardrails and beside the flower beds, all facing Lu Ziqing in front of the green bamboo.

Lu Ziqing just smiled and answered.

"The changes of heaven and earth originate from the interaction of yin and yang. Yin and yang are the two fundamental forces of the vast universe. Their mutual opposition and interdependence, constant movement and change, drive the evolution of all things."

Xiaoliu seemed to understand what he was saying, so Chen Ji asked again: "What patterns govern the changes in the world?"

"It has its own laws," Lu Ziqing said. "For example, the alternation of yin and yang, the mutual generation and mutual restraint of the five elements. These are the basic laws of the universe, and they also determine the growth, development, and extinction of all things."

Wu Ji scratched his forehead and asked, "How should mortals like us deal with this change?"

"We should follow the laws, respect nature, and live in harmony with it," said Lu Ziqing.

“And we can also use our own efforts and wisdom to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the changes in the world to achieve our own development and progress.”

As they were talking, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu caught sight of someone in the distant corridor. They immediately stood up and called out, "My Lord."

When the other servants saw the Marquis coming, they stood in a very straight line and greeted him as if they were guilty thieves.

Xiao Yan glanced at everyone and asked, "What are you doing?"

Lu Ziqing was about to speak when Chen Ji interrupted him and spoke with confidence.

"Of course, it's to listen to Brother Shenxian's lectures? When the Marquis is not around, we will listen to Brother Shenxian's lectures here whenever we have free time."

Xiao Yan nodded expressionlessly and dismissed the servants. Lu Ziqing said, "My Lord, don't blame them. It was me..."

"You speak very well."

Xiao Yan glanced at Chen Ji and Su Chengyi playing around, then turned back and smiled.

"Prince Su has learned the rules quite well now. Even the servants in the mansion are more knowledgeable than before. It turns out that it is all thanks to you. Since you came, the mansion has changed from being deserted in the past to being much more lively. They all like you very much."

Lu Ziqing said with a smile: "It's not really a great achievement. I just chatted with them when I had nothing to do. They were willing to listen, and I was happy to talk too."

As he was speaking, Wen Zhong came hurriedly over and said, "My Lord, Eunuch Feng Qi has arrived and is having tea in the main hall."

"What is he here for?" Xiao Yan asked.

"They are here with the imperial edict. My Lord, please go and receive it." Wen Zhong said.